Austin High School Students Sponsor Book Drive To Benefit Community Center In New Orleans | FortBendNow.com

Austin High School Students Sponsor Book Drive To Benefit Community Center In New Orleans | FortBendNow.com: "Austin High School’s Youth In Philanthropy student volunteers and their sponsors, Ayanna Banks and Christina Lau, have decided to tackle one more service project this school year apart from their participation with The George Foundation."

Idealist Blog � Blog Archive � U.S. nonprofits: Monday is the deadline for lots of 990s

Idealist Blog � Blog Archive � U.S. nonprofits: Monday is the deadline for lots of 990s: "Nonprofits with a January to December fiscal year probably need to file a Form 990 with the IRS by Monday, May 16.

Oops…how do I know if it’s time to file?

The deadline for 990s is 5.5 months after the end of the organization’s fiscal year. If December 31 was the end of the year, then May 15 is 5.5 months later."

More charities than expected will face highest level of accounting disclosure - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

From Civil Society in UK

More charities than expected will face highest level of accounting disclosure - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "More charities than initially thought are likely to fall into the most onerous tier of the Accounting Standards Board's proposed framework for charity accounting, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Charities with listed debt or which are holding other organisations’ money in a fiduciary capacity are considered to be publicly accountable and will therefore be required to use the tier 1 framework, which involves significantly more disclosure than the FRSME (Financial Reporting Standard for Mid-Sized Entities)."

Nonprofits priceless - BostonHerald.com

Nonprofits priceless - BostonHerald.com: "After years of extracting “voluntary” Payments In Lieu of Taxes from nonprofit hospitals and universities, the city recently sent what amounts to fourth-quarter 2011 real estate tax bills to 40 nonprofit organizations. Their “assessment” is 25 percent of what it would be for a for-profit business."

Oregon House debates changes to the estate tax | OregonLive.com

Oregon House debates changes to the estate tax | OregonLive.com: "SALEM -- The Oregon House on Tuesday voted to rewrite the state's inheritance tax in an attempt to make it easier for family farms, ranches and forestlands to be passed from one generation to the next."

Greenpeace not a charity: court - national | Stuff.co.nz

Greenpeace not a charity: court - national | Stuff.co.nz: "Greenpeace New Zealand's political activities mean it cannot register as a charity, the High Court has decided.

Greenpeace appealed against a 2010 ruling by the Charities Commission which found its promotion of 'disarmament and peace' was political rather than educational and while it did not directly advocate illegal acts, Greenpeace members had acted illegally."

Tenn: Year after big flood, critics want to know why millions raised for relief remain unspent

Tenn: Year after big flood, critics want to know why millions raised for relief remain unspent: "More than $29 million was donated for flood relief, according to the Tennessean. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has collected much of that, and millions remain unspent.

That prompted legislators to pass a law last week requiring nonprofits to report how they are spending flood donations to the Secretary of State.

State Rep. Gary Moore, D-Joelton, was the lead sponsor on the bill, which excludes religious organizations."

Nonprofits Want to Ban Unattended Donation Containers - WGHP

Nonprofits Want to Ban Unattended Donation Containers - WGHP: "WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP)—
Four Winston-Salem nonprofit groups are calling for a law that would require donation containers in Forsyth County to be guarded by attendants, according to the Winston-Salem Journal."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | In Tough Times Nonprofits Face What Feel Like Taxes

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | In Tough Times Nonprofits Face What Feel Like Taxes: "The Boston Globe reports that 40 of the city's largest nonprofits with property valued at $15 million or more have received letters from the city requesting them to make regular and voluntary tax payments based on the value of their holdings. The new plan requires the affected nonprofits, including those making smaller Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) for years, to now pay up to 25 percent of what they'd be billed if they weren't exempt from property taxes."

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: Frequently Asked Questions

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: Frequently Asked Questions: "2. Can a tax-exempt organization be a qualified employer?

A. Yes. The same definition of qualified employer applies to an organization described in Code section 501(c) that is exempt from tax under Code section 501(a). However, see Q/A-11 for special rules that apply in calculating the credit for a tax-exempt qualified employer. An employer that is an agency or instrumentality of the federal government, or of a state, local or Indian tribal government, is not a qualified employer unless it is an organization described in Code section 501(c) that is exempt from tax under Code section 501(a)."

Majority Of Tax-Exempts Pay Tax Anyway

Majority Of Tax-Exempts Pay Tax Anyway: "Majority Of Tax-Exempts Pay Tax Anyway

By Samuel J. Fanburg

Some 63 percent of nonprofits reported paying various types of fee and taxes to local and state governments during 2010. Of these types of assessments, 17 percent reported paying field-specific taxes, 36 percent paid “other payments,” 9 percent paid PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) and 42 percent of nonprofits paid user fees."

Nonprofits Call for Changes to 'Arcane' Lobbying Rules - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nonprofits Call for Changes to 'Arcane' Lobbying Rules - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Independent Sector, the coalition of charities and foundations, says it is time to explore ways to change the federal rules that restrict nonprofit lobbying.

Nonprofit and legal experts, who discussed the issue at a closed-door meeting last week, criticized existing lobbying rules as “arcane” and “vague to the point of being dysfunctional,” says Diana Aviv, Independent Sector’s president."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | AG Opinion Freezes Payments to Virginia Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | AG Opinion Freezes Payments to Virginia Nonprofits: "| In Virginia, attorney general legal opinions are supposed to be advisory, and not have the full effect of law. But, according to the Washington Post, unless lawmakers can find a way around Ken Cuccinell's ruling last January that the state's constitution bars grants to private charities, 'groups that work with some of the state’s neediest residents' could lose millions of dollars in funding."

States Offer Charity ‘Checkoffs’ To Give Through Taxes | Nonprofit News

States Offer Charity ‘Checkoffs’ To Give Through Taxes | Nonprofit News: "Though tax season is dreaded by most, it brings with it an added bonus. Tax refunds are the silver-lining of filing tax returns and, though for some they can be an essentially needed financial boost, they also provide opportunities to give back.

Many states offer “Checkoffs,” a list of nonprofit organizations that taxpayers can contribute to directly from their tax refunds. By providing a simple, straightforward way to donate, this small step is going a long way to help others."

IRS Warns of Tax Abuses Involving Nonprofits - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

IRS Warns of Tax Abuses Involving Nonprofits - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "IRS Warns of Tax Abuses Involving Nonprofits

April 8, 2011, 7:51 pm

By Lisa Chiu

As tax season ticks down, the IRS is warning Americans not to abuse deductions for charitable giving.

The IRS, in its annual list of the year’s “dirty dozen” tax scams, says that attempts to abuse charitable organizations and deductions are among the most common efforts to skirt the tax code."